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Island Living

A model for future generations!

Model yacht building and racing is making a comeback on Rathlin Island to ensure these age-old traditions are not lost. Inshore Ireland went out to see the first model yachts being made in many years, under the instruction of Loughie McQuilken.
Loughie is the one of the oldest inhabitants on the island and has been involved in building and sailing the models for over 70 years. The yachts are made from a single piece of wood that is chiselled, tapered and hollowed out with precision. These boats have been competing against one another for over two hundred years, some having been passed down from one generation to the next.

It isn’t only summer that has arrived on Rathlin!

By Mary O’Driscoll

The clocks have leaped forward; the days are longer and nights are shorter; lawnmowers are humming and the air is full of the sweet smell of new mown grass. All signs of the new season ahead – and the Rathlin Ferry has begun its 10 return trips daily schedule! Yes, summer has arrived!

The harsh and howling winds of the mid-march lion are but a memory. We have wintered well on Ireland’s most northerly island.
New-born lambs replace now wilting golden daffodils in almost every road side paddock from Magilligan to Fair Head. Most exciting of all however is the arrival baby McMullan, a daughter for Peter and Julianne and sister to Soirin [spelling?], who arrived on Rathlin on April 2. Niamh Ocean Cecil who was our youngest inhabitant until now is fast approaching her first birthday in June.

And on May 23 we will celebrate our first island wedding of 2009 when Hugh Hainey and Nikki Sebastian will tie the knot. This will be a joyous occasion, marked by a céilidh at McCuaigs!

Lagan Legacy: keeping our history and heritage alive!

By Wendy Scott

Whenever you come across a worthwhile cause, you always find it is supported by a few very committed people working passionately for the benefit of all!
Inshore Ireland paid a visit to the industrious home of Lagan Legacy on the banks of the River Lagan in Belfast. Lagan Legacy is a charitable organisation that came about as a result of a salvage operation carried out by the Lagan Boat Company (N.I.) Ltd in 2002.

Harland and Wolff were one of the worlds’s leading ship builders in the 19th century employing thousands of people; however due to the changing world, shipbuilding in Belfast declined and between 1999 and 2002 a demolition process began to remove many of the disused buildings around the docks.
During this demolition process, the Lagan Boat Company discovered that the maritime heritage of one of the former giants of the shipbuilding industry was inadvertently being destroyed. Not only were the physical buildings being lost forever, but also a significant archive of ships engineering plans.